On the trail of a serial killerThe photo you see your to left is the first image to appear from the serial killer film The Factory.

The Morgan O’Neill-directed film stars John Cusack and Jennifer Carpenter, the former supposedly playing a darker role than we’ve ever seen him in.

Cusack slips into the skin of Detective Mike Fletcher, a rugged and obsessive cop, and his partner Kelsey Walker, are on the trail of a serial killer who prowls the streets targeting young streetwalkers. When Fletcher’s teenage daughter disappears, he discovers the killer has kidnapped her after mistaking her for a hooker. His obsession goes into overdrive when he drops all professional restraint to get to the killer and save his daughter.

The Factory is a Dark Castle production, so it’s set up at Warner Bros. for distribution. The studio recently yanked it from its January 2011 slot, no replacement release date has been announced.